March To The Capital

Chapter 28: How the Skies Rained Fire (Alex)

'Get into formation!' Dad shouts, his voice booming across the field to get us ready for the upcoming battle.
'Form up into three columns!' I command my archers as they stumble into place, firmly griping their bows behind the main battle line.
I stand in front of my archers with a crystal arrow resting on my string.
No Cinari, no horses, no enemy formations. Just one man on the hill. This isn't right. We are near the capital and there is only one man. Why isn't there more of them?
My father barks orders for the furthest left and right flank to stay put before blowing his horn for the rest of us to move forward.
Hooroom!
I freeze into place, my arms and legs locking up. The cold, silent wind breezes pass by us as the army freezes in place. Not a sound, not even a whisper broke our silence. What is that cursed horn?
Hooroom!
My body loosens up, my mind screaming to run back to the forest, away from what is over that hill. No! I can't. I must stay here. If I run, people will follow my example. By running, I will cause the entire army to fall apart. No one else is fleeing from the sound of the horn. They too froze in fear. My father stands there, unmoved by the horn. Triumphantly standing tall as he faces the hill and the lonesome Cinari on his horse.
His aura is almost soothing, saying we can win this. Maybe he is keeping me in place? Keeping all of us in line?
The ground shakes. My eyes widen as two elegant floating rocks hover over the hill. My throat dries up as the monsters from another world hover above us.
'Archers! Bring it down!' Dad shouts. The archers behind me fire their arrows towards the floating rocks. All of them fall before they get near the beast.
I watch the beast in horror, not launching my arrow, staring blankly as the arrows fall from the sky, at the gigantic floating monster from the deepest depths of hell. My mind screams for me to run while my body shakes uncontrollably.
One rock fires a bolt of lighting at one of the columns, shattering the formation with a thunderous crack as its electric flame vaporises anyone caught in the blast. Our silence turns into screams of terror as more and more lightning from the rocks falls from the sky.
Some Dogs run into the forest, escaping their impending doom.
This isn't the battle we are used to. This is a slaughter!
As Dogs run past my frozen body, shocked to the core by the horror before me. I launch my arrow at the rock without a thought or a plan.
I hit it! I hit the beast!
The arrow didn't bounce off or fall from the sky. But actually hits the black rock. How is that even possible?
'Everyone run back to the forest!' Dad shouts, his voice echoing with fear.
I turn to run to the forest as the earth explodes around me. Blood, dirt, and limbs fall from the sky as the floating demons creep towards us.
From the safety of the forest, I turn towards the field of slaughter, to see my father carrying a Dog with grey fur on his shoulders. Oh, no! Dust is hit!
As my father rushes to the forest a bolt of lightning crashes in front of him, making him fly off to one side while Dust flies off to the other.
'No!' I scream in panic. My heart races and my breathing escalates. Dad, Dust. Oh no, oh for the love of anything good in this world no! I can't let them stay there. I can't leave them like this!
'You!' I point to three Dogs next to me as they are about to run deeper into the forest. 'Get Marak to safety! We can't lose him!'
I run to Dust as the rocks are directly above me.
I grab him by the shoulders to drag him to safety.
The Dogs behind me rush to Dad to pick him up before they run back to the forest.
The rocks stop firing while they turn around and float back to the hill. Their soft humming fades away as they drift away from their massacre.
Oh thank goodness, thank goodness it is over.
Dust coughs violently. 'Put me down,' he whimpers. I place him next to a tree to treat him of any injuries.
His body and parts of his face are burnt from the attack, blood gushing out from every wound. I can see his cheekbone as the flesh from it loosely hangs from his jaw.
'You're going to be okay. I'll patch you up,' I say to him as I rub the tears from my eyes while I tear off parts of my shirt and pants to cover his wounds, trying to stop the bleeding.
Dust coughs. 'I bet you will, kid,' he chuckles. 'I... I bet you will.'
'I will Dust,'
I apply pressure to his chest with the ripped fabric of my shirt, his blood soaking through it instantly. He puts his hand on top of mine.
'You... are a... a good kid.' He coughs as he spits out blood. 'I... wish more... were like you...'
His voice fade as he speaks to me. He doesn't have long. I can't fail him.
I place another rag onto the blood soaked one. 'Everything is going to be okay. You'll be fine.'
As blood soaks the freshly new bandage, I put another one on. And another till the bleeding stops. I look at him, smiling like an idiot.
But he's already gone. His eyes void of life.
'Nonono!' I cry as I bury my face into the charred corpse of my friend, hugging him tightly as I weep. Covering myself in his blood. 'I'm so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!' As I hug him tightly, I cry.
He's gone, just like that. In my arms, killed by a monster from the skies. We can't win this! How could we?
It is a mistake to bring him here. I shouldn't have brought him with me. I did this to him, I killed my friend!
Someone places a hand on my shoulder. I jolt up to see another Dog.
'Alex, Marak is alive. But... What are we going to do?' He says to me.
I wipe away my tears, smearing blood across my face. I look back out at the field, at the bodies of our people still laying there. We can't leave this place, they will come back. Not just with those flying demons, but with an army.
'Head deeper into the forest and set up camp,' I command the Dog.
'Would it be safer if-'
'No!' I interrupt him. 'If we are going to survive, you will follow my orders. Now tell the others to move deeper into the forest and set up defences. They will come back for more.'
He nods as he runs back to the survivors. Pulling out one arrow from my quiver. His special arrow, his prized invention. I break the crystal arrowhead off to put it in his chest pocket.
'Take this to the afterlife, my friend. If there is one for us.'
I hug him one last time before moving off, leaving him behind, unhurried, alone in the forest.
My gut turns as I turn my back on my comrades, denying them their resting place. I know we won't have time to handle the dead. Not when our chieftain is injured.